Thus far in the 2020s, there have been four elite men’s races in Tiszaujvaros. Csongor Lehmann (HUN) has won all of them. The 2021 and 2022 editions saw him prevail at the Europe Cup level. In 2023 and 2024, he won the races upon their return to the World Cup circuit. Taking Lehmann down on home turf, then, amounts to one of the toughest challenges in the sport.
To do so this weekend, the men of the 2025 Tiszaujvaros World Cup will have to come through the sprint distance semi-finals on Saturday before the top-30 finishers tackle a second sprint distance race on Sunday at 17:15 (CEST). Will anyone finally knock Lehmann from his throne, or will the king of Tiszy dominate once more? Find out by catching all of Sunday’s action live on TriathlonLive.
The Hungarians
Lehmann is clearly the man to beat and it is no surprise that he wears number 1 in the first of the three men’s semi-finals. He is but one part, though, of a formidable home line-up. Joining the former World U23 champion in the opening heat will be World Cup medallist Márk Dévay.
Another World Cup medallist, Bence Bicsák, goes for the Hungarian team in the second semi-final, while the third heat will see double World U23 Championship medallist Gergely Kiss start alongside recent World Cup medallist and newly-crowned World Aquathlon champion Márton Kropkó. All things considered, the home squad are not to be taken lightly.
Number ones
Semi-final 2 will be headlined by France’s Maxime Hueber-Moosbrugger, the recent winner of the Samarkand World Cup. A supreme runner, Hueber-Moosbrugger will fancy his chances on Tiszy’s fast, flat course. Having won the Miyazaki World Cup at the end of last season, he arrives as one of the form men on the circuit.
Taking the top seed in the third semi-final will be Jack Willis (GBR). Following the win of compatriot Oliver Conway at the Saidia World Cup last weekend, it feels a little like Willis is at risk of watching the growing British men’s party from the outside. In addition to Conway, the likes of Connor Bentley, Hugo Milner and Max Stapley have won World Cups in recent times, while Ben Dijkstra is another to make it onto the podium.
As an athlete yet to medal at this level, Willis will no doubt be keen to burst into said party and a 9th place at last year’s WTCS Weihai shows that he is certainly capable of doing so. Should he manage the multiple races well, look for him to match Bentley’s silver medal from last year’s race in Tiszaujvaros.
Not to be forgotten
Last year’s bronze medallist Valentin Morlec (FRA) is back and will likely benefit from a claustrophobic swim that favours swimmers with his speed. His teammate Baptiste Passemard, a World U23 Championships medallist from 2023, is another that boasts plenty of speed across the board.
Takumi Hojo (JPN) is a World Cup winner from 2023 while his compatriot Aoba Yasumatsu placed 4th in Chengdu back in May. Then there is the Australian youngster Bradley Course who is fresh off a 5th place finish in Saidia after claiming a pair of Asia Cup silvers. When it comes to young prospects, though, few are as exciting as João Nuno Batista (POR). The 2023 World Junior champion. He will be making his international bow for 2025 after ending 2024 with a 7th place at the Brasilia World Cup. After four years of Lehmann rule in Tiszy, perhaps it will take this star of the future to unseat the king.
